Monthly Archives: November 2011

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“The Digital Wood Carver was introduced by engineer, Burl Tichenor, to the woodworking and engraving industry. Using CNC technology, the Digital Wood Carver can produce a variety of details including 3D shapes, V-carving and pocketing text or figures. Geared for woodworkers, custom engravers, craftsman and sign designers, this Digital Wood Carver includes the carving head and table. It has onboard software to program artwork, text, or freestyle designs. The computerized carver moves to the exact location on the wood to make the desired design.”
Read more at http://www.digitalwoodcarver.com/ and a story about it at http://www.motherearthnews.com/biz-bulletins/new-wood-carving-machine-with-digital-technology.aspx#ixzz1fIndAhfShttp://www.motherearthnews.com/biz-bulletins/new-wood-carving-machine-with-digital-technology.aspx

The Web Standards Project is a bottom-up group focused on ensuring that there are standards for “simple, affordable access to web technologies for all.” They sponsor an Annual International Blue Beanie Day in support of web standards…this year on Wednesday, November 30, 2011. Folks take a self-portrait wearing a blue beanie (toque, tuque, cap) and upload it to the Blue Beanie Day 2011 pool on Flickr.
Read more about this-and the rest of the work for the rest of the year-at http://www.webstandards.org/2011/11/30/beyond-the-blue-beanie/

We always read about the resource/elective classes are fading away from our public school curriculum. Well, music doesn’t have to. Here is a site for teaching classical music to children using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the theory of multiple intelligences. Lesson plans are included. See what you think.http://www.classicsforkids.com/teachers/lessonplans_rossini.asp

“This month, Jonathan Mosen demonstrates some of the new features available to users of Freedom Scientific’s Focus 40 Blue refreshable Braille display with Apple’s iOS5 operating system. We then meet Timothy Rigby, who became blind suddenly, and with the help of Freedom Scientific’s JAWS® screen reading software, rebuilt his life and built a new business of his own.” Listen at http://www.freedomscientific.com/FSCast/episodes/fscast060-november2011.asp

The holiday shopping season has begun! Selecting gifts for individuals with a disability is often difficult. Just in time for your shopping, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation has published a booklet that provides hundreds of gift suggestions. Check out it’s special feature the Reeve Review where they took the time to test specific products and shared a review based on the ease-of-use, uniqueness, and fun factor! Get ready for the non-stop smiles as you leap through their gift guide. Take a look at some of their expert advice for purchasing gifts for the holidays!2011 Gift Guide for Individuals Living with Paralysis

Reading Planet is designed to help families and children explore the world of books. It features an annotated list of 1,000 children’s books that can be browsed by age group, author or category (for example: popular, classic, award winning). Children can post reviews of their favorite books and read reviews by others. Make it a family thing and write the reviews together.http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet

Night Light Stories features podcasts of original children’s stories developed by Chris and Melissa Bugaj. These stories were all first told by the friendly glow of a child’s night light. They invite you to share these stories with your own children or students… at night, in the morning, or anytime… anywhere. You can download and listen to the stories from the links on this blog or download them for free at iTunes! Search the blog for your favorite stories and activities. They also produce a weekly visual dictionary called “Lighting The Way With Words” where they choose a vocabulary word and pair it with an original photo. Dim the lights, get out your flashlights and create the “mood” for listening to these stories. www.nightlightstories.net

What a great way to reinforce science or history concepts. Create mini-books on a content area for an addition to your classroom library; students can leaf through the books as a great way to review for upcoming benchmark tests or the end of the year tests. Here’s how you do it. Print your PowerPoint presentation as handouts- six slides per page. Cut the slides out leaving a 1/2″ to the left of each slide to provide a space to staple. For an added touch, on Slide One leave an inch to the left and wrap that around the outside of the mini-book before stapling to form a spine for your Mini-Book. Super easy and quick. Want more ideas for using PowerPoint to create classroom activities. Check out this book from our library: “50 Quick and Easy Computer Activities for Kids ” by Tammy Worcester.

Do you ever wonder, “What else can I do with this single message communication device? I only ever use it as a repeating line when we are reading a story or for my student to greet his friends in the hall.” Well here’s a list of 100 ways to use it, many that you may not have ever thought about. Read and see what you thinkhttp://www.spectronicsinoz.com/article/20918